It is fair to say that the events of 3.40pm on Saturday April 1 2017 are unlikely to make Willie Le Roux’s career highlights reel.

My notebook entry - written before the TMO intervened - reads: “Classic Wasps! Gopperth offloads under pressure on own 10 metre line, Beale beats three men and Le Roux cuts great support line to score.”

The first whiff of a potential problem came fully 30 seconds later, when, probably prompted by the TMO, Nigel Owens stopped Jimmy Gopperth taking the conversion.

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And by the time the incident made it to the Aviva Stadium’s giant screen, it was clear that the worst clanger of the season, not to mention the ball, had well and truly been dropped...on April Fool’s Day.

With the nearest defender a good ten metres away, Le Roux’s theatrical swallow dive was unnecessary and at best ill-conceived. Instead of being 10-8 ahead, Wasps remained 3-8 down, and the rest is history, but remarkably, this is not the first cringe-worthy rugby moment with a Wasps connection...

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April 2012 - the Rec - Sam Vesty for Bath against Wasps

The moment which earned winger Tom Varndell immortality with Wasps fans, and the losing bonus point which eventually prevented the club being relegated, stemmed from another similarly crass piece of showboating.

Vesty was clean through for a try that would have secured his side a four-try bonus point, as well as leaving Wasps pointless. A few yards from the line he raised his arm in triumph, unaware that Varndell was closing in to make what some of the black-and-gold faithful still swear was the only tackle they ever saw him make.

After some deliberation from the TMO, and an initially wrong verdict on the big screen, it was declared that a try had not been scored, and a few weeks later the point gained effectively relegated Newcastle.

Bath coach, Brad Davis, who ironically went on to be Wasps’ defence coach, observed: “There’s a lesson there: don’t celebrate before you’ve put the ball down unless you’re Chris Ashton, Christian Wade or Tom Biggs and you’ve got the wheels. If you haven’t got the wheels get the ball down.”

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May 2004 - Twickenham - Clement Poitrenaud for Toulouse against Wasps

The clash between Wasps and the French giants will forever be remembered for Pointrenaud’s blunder which was all that ultimately divided the two best sides in Europe.

The game was heading for extra time at 20-all, Toulouse had taken a drop-out and scrum half Rob Howley was penned in close to the touchline.

He swivelled and chipped along the touchline towards Toulouse’s full-back, who had all the time in the world to gather and clear.

However, clearly hoping it would end up harmlessly in touch, the 47-times-capped French international hesitated fatally.

The ball seemed to hang in the air for minutes, before Howley dashed in, and swooped for what the TMO eventually decided was the match and trophy-clinching score.

This gave Wasps a first European title, while Toulouse are still forced to suffer replays of the incident when the clubs meet - as they did in this year’s competition.

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March 2007 - the Madejski Stadium - Juan Manuel Leguizamon for London Irish against Wasps

Danny Cipriani looked on from the bench as a late Riki Flutey penalty secured a more than deserved victory for Irish.

This was much to the relief of Argentinian flanker Leguizamon, who like Le Roux missed a certain try by attempting an extravagant celebratory dive and dropping the ball.

At the time, BBC reports assessed Leguizamon’s error as: “surely one of the biggest sporting blunders in recent times.”

Irish coach Brian Smith was visibly angry on the sidelines, after which then-forwards coach Toby Booth said Leguizamon was distraught.

“Juan is quite an emotional character,” he said. “After the game he beat himself up a bit and he is devastated.

“He is a very proud person and does not want to feel he has let his team-mates down.”

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July 1989 - Sydney Football Stadium - David Campese for Australia against the British & Irish Lions

Then Wasps’ fly half Rob Andrew and current boss Dai Young, who at the time was a 22-year-old tighthead prop, were beneficiaries from a hideous mistake from one of the sport’s most celebrated players.

With just 40 minutes remaining, nothing separated the teams - it was one match all and 9-9 in the decider.

Michael Lynagh’s penalty then put the Wallabies ahead for the first time, before Campese’s howler titled the match - and the series - decisively in the Lions favour.

When Andrew fluffed an attempted drop goal, winger Campese fielded the loose ball behind his own line, but instead of touching down for a 22-metre drop-out, he flung a wayward pass behind full back Greg Martin.

The ball hit the turf in what Lions fans have ever since known as ‘Campo’s corner’ and Welsh flyer Ieuan Evans beat the panic-stricken No.15 to the touchdown.

These days the TMO would get involved, but in 1989 French referee Rene Hourquet was on his own - and to the delight of most of the rugby world (since motor mouth Campo was never the most popular bloke) he awarded the try that set the Lions on their way to a 19-18 win.